Ontario Archbishop Meagher, 66, dies after public fight with cancer

Published: 2007-01-16

TORONTO (CNS) -- After a public four-year fight with cancer, Archbishop Anthony Meagher of Kingston died peacefully at his family home in Oshawa, Ontario, at the age of 66. The archbishop's open and courageous struggle with the disease drew the admiration of people across Canada. Countless prayers had been offered for him since he revealed in 2002 that he faced the prospect of dying from cancer within 18 months. However, the months stretched into years until the fall, when all treatment was discontinued. The archbishop died Jan. 14. "Way back at the beginning of the cancer, it was suggested to me that perhaps God was allowing me to be sick at this time in order that I might be better able to relate, as chief shepherd, to all in our archdiocese who are not well," Archbishop Meagher wrote in his column, "Lines from a Rocking Chair," published in the November issue of Journey, the Archdiocese of Kingston newspaper. "I really believe that this is a mission that God has given me, and I am astounded to see how God has been able to use my weakness to touch the hearts of so many people in a positive way."

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